The Beginning of Your Journey — Mount & Blade: Warband Walkthrough
Every great empire in Calradia begins with a single step. The opening moments of Mount & Blade: Warband are crucial for setting the tone and establishing the foundation for your future success. This guide will walk you through those initial, vital stages.
Your journey starts with a blank slate and a few basic possessions. The decisions you make in these first few hours will have a ripple effect throughout your entire playthrough. Mastering the early game is key to unlocking the full potential of Mount & Blade: Warband.
Character Creation
The very first step is creating your character. This involves:
- Choosing a Name and Gender.
- Selecting a Background: This is critical as it determines your starting attributes, skills, and equipment. Consider your desired playstyle – warrior, noble, merchant, etc.
- Customizing Appearance.
Tip: For new players, a background that emphasizes combat skills (Strength, Agility, Ironflesh, Weapon Master) is highly recommended for early survival.
The Tutorial and Initial Quests
Upon starting a new game, you'll typically find yourself in a village or town. You'll likely be presented with a series of tutorial quests:
- Speaking to NPCs: Learn how to interact with characters and access dialogue options.
- Basic Combat: You'll be guided through your first combat encounters, learning to swing your weapon and block attacks.
- World Map Navigation: Understand how to move your character across the vast world map.
- Village Elder/Guild Master Quests: These initial quests are designed to introduce you to the game's mechanics and provide your first taste of earning Denars and reputation. Examples include delivering items or defeating small groups of bandits.
Early Game Survival and Goals
Your primary objective in the first few hours is survival and resource accumulation:
- Hunt Bandits: Small groups of bandits are your primary early-game income source. They are relatively weak and their loot can be sold for profit.
- Recruit Troops: Visit villages and recruit any available recruits. They are weak but can be trained into stronger soldiers.
- Manage Food and Morale: Ensure you always have enough food for your party. Low morale leads to desertion. Winning battles and providing food helps.
- Sell Loot: Always sell excess equipment and loot in towns and villages to maximize your income.
- Avoid Large Armies: Until you have a substantial and well-trained army, steer clear of large enemy patrols and lords.
Key Locations to Visit Early On
- Villages: For recruiting basic troops and sometimes finding quests.
- Towns: For trading, taking on more complex quests, and finding better recruits.
- Taverns: To find potential companions and gather rumors.
The beginning of your journey in Mount & Blade: Warband is a period of learning and adaptation. By focusing on survival, resource management, and completing introductory quests, you'll build a solid foundation for the epic adventures that await you.